As I wrote in today’s feature story in the D&C, somewhere coach Bob Lilley is knocking on wood because his Rhinos have stayed pretty much injury-free this year except for forward Tino Nunez’s dislocated elbow and today I wrote a little bit about that. Today’s piece is a neat one because I got a chance to see the Rhinos in a different light, away from the field and away from the locker room, and I have to tell you some of them struggled with that yoga workout I saw at ‘breathe’ in Pittsford. It’s the perfect store/spa/cafe/juice bar for that quaint little downtown. And, trust me, yoga IS a workout. I’ve done some more intense training of my own the past two months and am feeling pretty good about it and yoga is next on my list to try. For anyone who thinks it’s an easy workout, think again.

Inside ‘breathe,’ the Weis family has built a powerful brand over eight years. Here’s a link to the piece. This relationship with the Rhinos was born out of assistant coach Bill Sedgewick working out there when he played for the club from 1999-2006 (breathe opened in 2002, but by then “Sedge” was already a “yogi,” as they say). This is another good tie into the community under the new Ercoli-Lilley-Sedgewick regime. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story and Kate Melton’s photo gallery.

IMPACT AHEAD: Did you know that in 13 years of the Rhinos-Montreal rivalry, Rochester has never held the Impact without a victory in the season series? Well, it’s true. But on Friday the Rhinos have that chance. They’re 2-0-1 against Montreal this year as they head to Stade Saputo today. Since I know someone will say it, of course I realize that the Impact didn’t field a team in 1999, so that’s one year the Rhinos didn’t allow Montreal a win. I’m talking about seasons in which the Impact played. Had a good chat with Lilley about his time in Quebec (2002-03, 32-15-6 record, one division title). Read more about that and how Montreal owner Joey Saputo slammed his club a week ago, then watched it respond by pounding Crystal Palace Baltimore 5-0, in FRIDAY’S EDITIONS OF THE D&C.

HELLO, McFLY. ANYBODY HOME? I’ve heard enough TV folks mention the Rhinos and their win streak the past two weeks. Kudos for noticing, but how about getting it completely right? Instead of calling it the Rhinos’ “season-high, six-game winning streak,” maybe add in their longest in 11 years or the longest in their league this season. Nit-picky? Yeah, but that 11-year figure and league-best makes the streak even more impressive and worth note. I mean, no other team in the league has won more than three matches in a row. Reading this blog or the paper is all the research that needs to be done. Simple.

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Jeff DiVeronica has covered professional soccer and the Rhinos for the Democrat and Chronicle since the team's inception in 1996. "Devo's Direct Kicks" takes aim mostly at Rochester soccer, but will also highlight the USL, MLS and U.S. national team play. Devo, his nickname since college at St. John Fisher, also hosts two weekly radio shows each Saturday on WHTK-AM/FM (1280/107.3 or www.whtk.com). "Kick This!" (11 a.m.) features soccer talk, while the Canandaigua National Bank High School Sports Show (noon) covers Section V sports. E-mail Jeff at jdiveron@DemocratandChronicle.com.
Or follow him on Twitter: @RocDevo